Easy 20 Minutes Steamed Kam Heong Prawns
Steamed Kam Heong Prawns dish is a healthy alternative to Kam Heong Prawns. The prawns are cleaned and cut, then steamed until just cooked. The Kam Heong sauce is heated up to activate the fragrance and flavour before being diluted a little before drizzling over the steamed prawns.
It’s a simple and easy meal that is also nutritious and very delicious. The aroma of Kam Heong, which is known as “Golden Fragrance” in Cantonese, beckons the family members to the dinner table. It’s full of umami-ness with the perfect balance of saltiness that brings out the prawn’s natural sweetness to the dish.
As the recipe is very simple, more time can be saved when we set up the steamer and then clean the prawns. Then, while waiting for the prawns to cook, the Kam Heong sauce is heated up and mixed in with water to get a slightly runny consistency. As this Steamed Kam Heong Prawns dish with very flavourful, it is perfect with some white rice, steamed vegetables or omelette as a side dish.
This recipe serves 5 adults.
Ingredients
Kam Heong Sauce, (or Golden Fragrance), which brings almost all the fragrance and flavour. The consistency is quite thick and usually chunky with bursts of flavour. I used my homemade sauce for this recipe, but the store-bought version works as well. Be sure to adjust the amount of salt used in marinating the prawns according to taste.
Prawns, all cleaned and butterflied. I thawed some frozen freshwater prawns for this recipe but frozen and seawater prawns work well too. As they will be steamed, the fresher they are, the more delicious they will be.
Salt, to season the prawns – which brings out their sweetness.
Curry Leaves, for an additional curry-like fragrance to the Steamed Kam Heong Prawns. It can be omitted if it is unavailable as no other herb contain the same aroma.
Water to dilute the Kam Heong sauce. It can be mixed in with the prawn stock released from steaming. Be sure to reduce the amount of water if doing so to prevent the consistency from becoming too runny.
Steps
Here are the brief steps to make this Easy Steamed Kam Heong Prawns dish:
- Prepare the steamer.
- Clean and cut the prawns.
- Marinate the prawns by sprinkling salt over them.
- Steam the prawns.
- Heat up the Kam Heong sauce.
- Add curry leaves and water, stirring to mix until slightly runny.
- Drain the water released from the prawns.
- Spread the Kam Heong sauce all over the prawns.
Tips
- Preparing the steamer while cleaning the prawns saves time.
- The additional liquid is full of umami and sweetness from the prawns. It can be mixed in with the Kam Heong sauce before pouring them over the sauce. If using it, reduce the amount of water added to the sauce when heating it up. Alternatively, use it in some stir-fried vegetables to replace oyster sauce on the same day.
- The nutritional information does not include the serving of rice.
- Make sure to watch the full video to see how I made it exactly!
Storage Instructions
This Steamed Kam Heong Prawns dish is best enjoyed immediately after cooking. As the freshness of seafood tends to deteriorate rapidly, I do not recommend storing it in the fridge.
I also do not recommend freezing it as the ice crystals will affect the texture of both the prawns and Kam Heong sauce, making it mushy once thawed.
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- Kam Heong Sauce Recipe
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Steamed Kam Heong Prawns
Equipment
- Steamer
- Steamer Clamp
- Sharp Kitchen Knife
- Kitchen Shears
- Non-Stick Frying Pan
- Silicone Turner
Ingredients
Steaming Prawns
- 1.2 L water, for steaming
- 500 g freshwater prawns, medium-sized, fully thawed if frozen
Kam Heong Sauce
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 180 g Kam Heong sauce, homemade, or store-bought
- 1 stalk curry leaves
- 85 ml water
Instructions
- Pour the water into the steamer over medium-heat. Cover the steamer and let the water come to a rolling boil for about 8 minutes.
- Prepare the prawns. Cut the back of the prawn with a pair of shears from the top to the tail. Flip the prawn and cut the back part of the head to half as well to butterfly them. Discard the vein and the stomach of the prawn. Repeat until all the prawns have been cleaned.
- Sprinkle the salt evenly over the prawns to marinate them. Place them on a steam-proof plate.
- When the water is boiling vigourously, steam the prawns for 8 minutes.
- In a separate pan over medium heat, heat up the Kam Heong sauce. Strip the leaves from the curry leaves stem and add 85ml of water. Stir to combine, or until the consistency is slightly runny. Switch off the heat and set aside.
- When the prawns are cooked, carefully remove them from the steamer with a steam clamp. Optionally, drain the additional liquid from the prawns.
- Spread the Kam Heong sauce all over the prawns evenly.
- Serve immediately with some white rice.
Video
Notes
- Preparing the steamer while cleaning the prawns saves time.
- The additional liquid is full of umami and sweetness from the prawns. It can be mixed in with the Kam Heong sauce before pouring them over the sauce. If using it, reduce the amount of water added to the sauce when heating it up. Alternatively, use it in some stir-fried vegetables to replace oyster sauce on the same day.
- It is not recommended to keep this dish as seafood deteriorates rapidly.
- Watch the video to see how I made it!
- The nutritional information does not include the serving of rice.